quit day today

[nsd_user663_62392]

Cold turkeying it, how longs a day?

So half way day one, but was asleep till 8am, hour at a time I think feel fine so far

25 to 30 smoker for 10 years so here goes

[nsd_user663_59644]

Hi, so far so good, great to have you on board,:)

Any probs please post and read, always peeps around to help

Good luck

[__steve__]

That's the way to do it...an hour at a time. A minute at a time if necessary.

It gets easier. I promise.

Well done for taking the decision to quit, and as Tracey said: shout if you need anything!

Pleased to meet you, by the way

Steve

[nsd_user663_62294]

Hi welcome comaamen, nice to meet you. This is a great forum, keep posting your progress as it helps loads.

[nsd_user663_60964]

A big welcome to the forum from me too, Comaamon

You've made one of the best decisions you will ever make. Yes there will be difficult times ahead, especially during the early days, but if you can just hold on in there you'll be through the worst before you know it.

You'll find tons of advice and support here as we're all in the same boat and there is nothing that someone hasn't experienced at some point. Read, post and share your journey with us.

Welcome on board!

[nsd_user663_62313]

A warm welcome to the reason why I've managed more than 24 hours, no, more than 1 hour, smoke-free: because of this forum and the amazing people/support available for free on here!

You have chosen to begin a journey that will lead you out of the awful consequences of nicotine addiction - well done and brilliant choice. As Steve says, one hour, one minute at a time - whatever it takes... Just keep coming back here. Good luck, we're here for you.

[nsd_user663_62343]

Morning comaaman, welcome and good luck with your quit.

I reckon you have just increased your chances of success immensely by joining this forum

One step at a time

[nsd_user663_40405]

Welcome, I was a turkey as well It took me approx 4 serious attempts to crack it, it took me 1 attempt after joining this board.

Turkeying you just have to battle every hit as it comes and stay out of the shop, gets easier with time but with turkeying you have to really want it as there will be times when that will show.

Good Luck from me

[nsd_user663_62083]

Welcome and good luck. These guys are a must to get you through. Minutes will become hours, will become days, weeks etc etc etc. Soon you will look back and think 'wow I made it'

[nsd_user663_62392]

just quick update, over a day into this now and i really do not feel all to bad, i timed it so i would be busy over the first week rather than at home

i find having something to do is always a great way when stopping anything

should i be feeling worse, will it get worse?

feeling a little unlike myself akin to being dizzy or very relaxed but def not irritable anxious at all

i thought i would be holding my hand trying to stop myself lighting up, but its been of a more "smoke after dinner? dont really do that no more, so i wont"

i went to the gp yesterday to seek advice on champix, they put a referal in to a stop smoking clinic which i wont hear from for two weeks at least and simply would not prescribe

this is my whole reason for cold turkey, impatiently i was not prepared to wait, and actually felt more drive when the gp was telling me my odds and how to do it, so this is my irst time giving up and hopefully last

i do not want to give something up more than once

so summary after first say 36 hours, feel mostly fine, dont know when the onslaught begins though, but have mentally built myself up as much as possible

only thing i am now doing got some mini fox mints and chupa chups, limit it to 5 of each a day as do not want to stuff myself full of sugar, they seem to do the job for keeping me mouth busy

[nsd_user663_62392]

did have one massive lapse in memory since stopping found myself in front of the bathroom mirror about to try and shave with my toothbrush today, as i said has made me a little dizzy but that is the worst thing to hap[pen so far

[nsd_user663_54305]

Hi Coma,

You are obviously keen to know what to expect, which is totally understandable and I'm sure there will be plenty of advice offered - but I will just say that every quit is different, so just because someone experienced something does not [necessarily] mean you will experience the same.

To my mind, the key to a successful quit is to slip into the right mindset rather than just count off the days. You only have to look through previous posts from the many who have trodden this path before you to realise that some people are still struggling even six or more months down the road, whilst others get that "quitter's mindset" almost straight away and seem to cruise through the process from very early on.

CT (and Champix) are approaches which address the problem (nicotine addiction) rather than the symptom (smoking) and so from that point of view, CT addresses the addiction problem head on and, although you may have a tough time in the short term, the physical side is done and dusted very quickly and it's then a mind game. NRT cures the symptom rather than the root problem and there are stories of people chomping away on gum years after 'quitting', still as drug addicted as they ever were. They are not smoking and that's fine so far as it goes, but they certainly aren't 'free'.

So, well done for taking the CT route; if you can weather the next few days (and it is days rather than weeks) then you will put yourself in a very strong position for the longer term as you will have cracked your physical nicotine addiction.

Once that stage is over it's down to mindset, self education, self belief, determination, but never 'luck' - so when your doctor starts throwing 'odds' at you, remember these statistics relate to the quitting population as a whole - as individuals we can only be 0% successful (i.e. failed) or 100% successful (i.e. succeeding), and which camp you fall into is entirely down to you and not down to luck.

Never Take Another Puff is a well used, but acutely observed, saying. Never Take Another Puff and you cannot fail. Understand it, accept it, embrace it, and the quitting process becomes easy.

[nsd_user663_62392]

thanks, all advise is much appreciated and taken on board, i thought it would be much much harder than it currently is, i am sure things are going to change but at the moment i feel quite good

i honestly thought i would be going crazy right now i am a little restless but not in a negative way, i feel like i have got a little more energy

[nsd_user663_62392]

the gp i saw seemed very text book, they actually got a book out to give me the read through of champix

i was slightly perplexed as i had booked this appointment with details of why and if it was a case of visiting a smoking clinic i would of done that direct?

but when i did inquire about cold turkey, give it up straight, she instantly said i was unlikely to succeed, which sort of just made me more determined if that makes sense

[nsd_user663_60964]

It does indeed make sense, Con. I think I would have felt exactly the same had my GP said such a thing to me. I'll bet you anything your GP has never smoked. A few words of praise & encouragement wouldn't have gone amiss would they? :rolleyes: You go for it, and show the silly woman that it's possible.

As Eggy says, the side-effects/symptoms of quitting are extremely varied and no quit is the same. There's also no right or wrong way of doing it- some (you, for example :)) storm through CT, others (me for one) needed NRT to get us through the initial part of the quit, others again (Max and quite a few others I can think of) succeeded via the Champix route. It's whatever floats your boat and does it for you that matters.

You really are doing fantastically well and should be extremely proud of what you have achieved so far. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and deal with anything as & when it comes. You may encounter nothing worse than you have already faced down, or you may hit a difficult patch- just be ready for whatever lies in your path and we shall be here if and when you need advice, help or a good shout.

Love the shaving story by the way!

[nsd_user663_62211]

I've had a 2 quits, both cold turkey and both different. First one I had every withdrawal symptom you could care to think of! Shakes, tears, sweats, dizziness, nausea, clumsiness huge craves where I had to count seconds to get through it lol ... all sorts!

This time... just a few "I'll have a smoke now" and, like you, just kind of remembered I don't do that now!

The dizziness will be because your brain is getting lots of lovely clean oxygen and it's just not used to it! Enjoy it! People used to pay to visit oxygen bars for feeling like that hahaha

Keep up the good work! Sounds like you are doing really well already!

[nsd_user663_62392]

cl.jroo.me/z3/J/W/c/e/a.baa...

evening, so started this on july 1st 10:32am this time tomorrow will be through what i have been heard as refereed to as "3 day hump"

feeling good so far have not felt at all compelled to smoke, i suppose the hardest thing so far has been just breaking the habit of doing everything with a smoke in my hand, not through physically needing it, but if it makes sense literally just breaking the routine

seem to be sort of subconsciously accepting that i dont smoke now, when i finish a meal or wake up or have a coffee my first thought is not smoke

only side affects since starting has been a little lightheaded and maybe feeling more energetic maybe even hyper?

but cannot really say anything majorly negative so far

[nsd_user663_62343]

Hi Comaaman,

Well done on your quit. I am on day 11 of my quit, still feel energised. Hope you continue to feel good

[nsd_user663_62392]

Hi Comaaman,

Well done on your quit. I am on day 11 of my quit, still feel energised. Hope you continue to feel good

thanks good to hear you are doing well also, looking forward to hitting double numbers

it amazing how often i put off trying to quit just through the fear of what it may be like, rather than actually seeing what it was like

[nsd_user663_62343]

Lol I can relate to that. I was so scared and kind of accepted that I would fail before I even tried. This time I felt differently, just woke up knowing that I didn't want to do it anymore.

For me so far, any cravings have been ok. In fact I am not even sure I would call them cravings. Not sure of the difference between a craving and a passing thought that is soon dismissed.

[nsd_user663_62392]

another day of no smoking passes, feeling good i do not get cravings really and can quite comfortably be around others who smoke

shifted the last of my duty free people advised me to keep hold of it in case i found it hard but if i do i just dont really feel like that is the right way to commit to the decision

anyhow got me money back from that and got me self a stock of chupa chups and an oleg meerkat

the actual money save from not smoking is going in a jar, i was spending about 9 a day uk prices and 4. 50 duty free, so just chucking a 5 a day in the jar and will check in on it it in a couple months

not to sond cliche but finding me sense of taste and smell getting better, had a lot of positives so far from quitting

[nsd_user663_62023]

Glad to hear it's going so well. Fear of not smoking is incredibly powerful, kept me going for years. If I just thought about quitting I could feel the panic/scared feeling in my brain.

Once I took the plunge I felt like I'd been released from a phobia. Incredible.

This is going to sound a little negative but please be careful, I found one quit incredibly easy and so decided that I could smoke and quit whenevever I wanted. That resulted in me being hooked for the next 20 years. :mad:

Good luck for today.

[nsd_user663_60655]

Hi Coma

Well done. This is the best decision you have taken for the rest of your life! You have been given a lot of valuable advice and encouragement here. Take it all on board and navigate as you feel you should to come out the other side, resilient to remain a non-smoker. Mindset was mentioned and, yes, that is the crux of it all. And like an alcoholic, and his/her first drink to relapse, an ex-smoker is the same. I did cold turkey after having been a smoker for over 40 years and was hitting 2 packs + before I quit. Sure the initial period has its highs and lows and bravely so you are filling up your days, but you WILL get through this IF you want to. I am still incredulous that I stopped. I had courted the idea for years, after any increase in price of fags, after a cold, after being scolded/given sound advice, but this time some force within kicked in. Some one here said it is a release, you have shed a layer of yourself, a dependency. Gosh how true, the relief of having walked away from this addiction is overwhelming. I have been patted on the back so many times since November. You are not alone! And, do you want to go through the first few weeks again?!

Best of luck. Come to this website as much as you feel you need to for support (was my life-saver, couldn't have done it without the fantastic people here).

Be strong. Persevere!

Firefly

[nsd_user663_62392]

thanks for tips guys, and dont worry just because it is not as difficult as i thought it would be does not mean i view it with any less attention than it deserves

i consider myself lucky that i have had it okay so far, and all the more reason never to smoke again

[nsd_user663_62392]

wooop another day another result double numbers soon

all still good going to give that allen carr book a read too, as a lot of people seem to champion it, so why not

[nsd_user663_62392]

Another day another dollar

From not smoking 8)

One week, soon my pretty, soon

[nsd_user663_51052]

Good work!

After the first week I just found it easier and easier, so I hope it's the same for you!

[nsd_user663_62392]

thanks looking forward to hearing from gp about referal soon

Went there for help and have got none so far, when I said I really did not want to wait on a referal they basically said I would not be able to cold turkey it

[nsd_user663_60964]

You just hold on in there and show the GP what for Con. You're doing fab.

[nsd_user663_62023]

I tried to join an NHS stop smoking support group when I had been quit about 3 weeks. I knew I was struggling and needed help: not an easy thing for me to admit!

The website referred me to a phone number rather than just list local details who then sent me an appointment for a week later. I managed to get through the week by the skin of my teeth and turned up for the meeting only to be told that I'd been sent the wrong time and that there was no meeting.

I was so angry, the very people who were supposed to be helping..... blah blah blah. I went home found this forum and never went back.

So not such a bad outcome after all. :

Good luck for today Comaamen.

[nsd_user663_62392]

I don't know what the referral is for but wanted to congratulate you on nearly hitting your first week

Thanks, was gp sending me to a quit smoking clinic and not actually doing anything

Yep almost at a week got a stop smoking app, saved sixty pound already and not smoked 187 smokes so far according to app

[nsd_user663_62392]

Hit a week yesterday

i30.photobucket.com/albums/...

[nsd_user663_59644]

Did you ever imagine you could and have managed a full week,? how fantastic

Congratulations from me, hope a little treat is planned

enjoy your freedom

[nsd_user663_60964]

Well done Com

Definitely time for a wee celebration I think.

[nsd_user663_62392]

Thanks all, its strange never thought would give up

Just over a week and can no longer imagine smoking

First day or two found myself heading to the garden or smoking area without a smoke in hand, just because of ten years of habit

Now it does not even pass in thought

I figure a decade of smoking has cost me 20,000 plus, just got Allen Carr's book today

Bit backwards to read after I stopped but a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read

The money I am saving don't know what to do with it yet, glass jarring it, going to see me sister next month so might treat me neice and nephew with some of it

[nsd_user663_62392]

Still going strong

i30.photobucket.com/albums/...

[nsd_user663_60964]

Good on you Com

Just watch those wonderful stats rack up....

[nsd_user663_62392]

Not been on much but not been smoking

i30.photobucket.com/albums/...

[nsd_user663_2681]

Nice one! sherv.net/cm/emoticons/yes/...

[nsd_user663_59644]

Loving the app,brilliant those numbers are building up nicely :cool:

[nsd_user663_60964]

Well done Con

Just keep plodding on and watch those numbers continue to rack up.

[nsd_user663_62577]

You are obviously keen to know what to expect, which is totally understandable and I'm sure there will be plenty of advice offered - but I will just say that every quit is different, so just because someone experienced something does not [necessarily] mean you will experience the same.

To my mind, the key to a successful quit is to slip into the right mindset rather than just count off the days. You only have to look through previous posts from the many who have trodden this path before you to realise that some people are still struggling even six or more months down the road, whilst others get that "quitter's mindset" almost straight away and seem to cruise through the process from very early on.

[nsd_user663_40405]

Look at the dough saved already, packing in smoking is like been given free rent money.

Keep it up, steelfixer and his microwave wish you all the very best.